Saturday, September 24, 2016
Irkutsk
The morning began slowly with
breakfast in our room. We got ourselves organized while we waited for our guide
to take us on a city tour. She arrived at noon and the next five hours were
brilliant.
We visited the historical centre of
Irkutsk and looked at several churches that have been restored to their
original condition since Perestroika. Of course most were Orthodox churches
with beautiful onion domes and gold accents. But one was a Catholic Church with
a very tall traditional steeple with a cross at the top. This building was not
allowed to reclaim its status as a church following Perestroika and has since
become part of a Musical Society because of the pipe organ that is installed
there. The congregation has constructed a much newer church outside the centre
of the city.
We also visited the main square of
the city with the war memorial and an eternal flame. There were preparations
for a parade of some sort (lots of military and police presence) and the
traffic was horrendous because many roads were closed.
We travelled along a newly created
promenade beside the river with benches and playgrounds and fledgling trees. In
time, it will be a beautiful place to spend some time. As in other places,
there are many monuments installed. One of the momuments was dedicated to a loving
couple whose legend claims that they were married for a very long time, deeply
in love and they both died on the same day in the same hour. The monument has
become a place where many marriages occur and on this day, a Saturday, we
observed a line up of bridal couples with their guests and officiants awaiting
their turn at the base of the monument. Brides were dressed in long white gowns
and grooms wore formal suits. Brides carried flowers. We did not see any
bridesmaids or groomsmen but cars were decorated with ribbons, ballons and a
pair of wedding rings sitting atop the roof. Most weddings do not occur in
churches but at a location significant to the bridal couple. They are generally
civil ceremonies that take place early in the day, followed by photos and a
wedding meal at a restaurant.
We also visited a lovely monastery
where a small group of nuns still reside. The grounds were well maintained and
the buildings were all in good repair. Several interesting people were buried
on the grounds including a poet, a politician, two criminals and a notorious
historical character who is alternately loved and hated by local people. Our
guide told us that there are often fresh flowers on his grave and occasionally
red paint thrown on its surface. The debate about his credibility began 300
years ago and continues today.
Irkutsk is quite an old city, founded
in the 17th century. Because of the abundance of timber in the area,
most of the original buildings were constructed using wood. As we saw in
Suzdal, there was beautiful decorative carving around door and window frames.
Some of the decorations are simply that. But some of them have pagan origins,
including full, half and quarter suns, representations of sea and agriculture.
Our guides have been able to point out to us, information that we never would
have noticed on our own.
We made it through the traffic jam
and headed out of the city. Our destination was our guide’s (Julia)family dacha
where her mother was waiting for us with a cup of tea and a treat. We were
excited about going. We have seen many dachas from the train windows but to see
one in situ was going to be grand. We were not disappointed.
We entered what appeared to be a
makeshift community with ramshackle buildings only to discover how well
organized it was. Each dacha was 600 square metres in size. On each plot of
land was a tiny cottage for living, a greenhouse or two to support plants that
required more heat or a longer growing season, well organized garden plots
featuring a wide array of fruits and vegetables. Most notable in the community
was the well developed water supply system for garden use. At the gateway to
the area, there were two very large metal tanks perched high in the air on
metal frame which created water pressure in the attached water lines. Medium
sized water pipes had been run to each dacha and, within the dacha there was a
tap and a system of smaller pipes or hoses to extract needed water for the
crops that were growing.
On the dacha we visited, in addition
to the very small cottage but two story, there was a rustic outhouse, a compost
box, a large metal barrel for burning waste, a soar-heated summer shower (large
container on roof of small building), a small table for outdoor eating and two
greenhouses. A multitude of plants had been grown throughout the short growing
season (late May to early September). Most of the produce had been harvested
already and the plot prepared for spring. Chard, beets, carrots, onions,
zucchini, beans, potatoes and a myriad of berries (strawberries, raspberries,
black currants and several berries that we did not know) had been harvested and
prepared for winter storage (juice, jam, sauce, cold storage). Tomatoes,
cucumbers and peppers were still producing fruit in the greenhouses, grown
inside due to the need for more heat and a longer growing season than the
natural world here provides. The tomatoes were huge and red on the vine and the
cucumbers and peppers appeared to be ever bearing. Dill, lemon balm and mint
were still alive in the garden. The fruit trees had been picked although the
crabapples were being left for the birds. Frost was expected soon and with
that, the season would be over.
We sat under a tree and enjoyed a cup
of tea with buns. Homemade jam and homemade cream accompanied them. Delicious!!
And then it was time to say thank you and farewell.
Julia’s mother was heading back to
her home so we had the opportunity to take her with us in the car and see the
town where Julia grew up. Her mom still lives on the top floor of a 5 storey
walk-up apartment. Talk about a fitness program!! She took home a bucket of
berries, zucchini, tomatoes and peppers to process in the coming days.
Long term storage of food occurs in a
number of ways. Many foods are simply canned. Some are processed into jams,
jellies and sauces. And some are put into cold storage. In its simplest form,
cold storage takes the form of a chamber that has been dug out underground
where root vegetables and hard fruit are stored for use over the winter months.
Freezing does not seem to be an option that is available and even refrigerators
are very small.
Bread and dairy products are
purchased daily at the local supermarket in smaller communities. I imagine that
there are some different resources in the cities.
Julia dropped us off on the street
outside our hotel and we were confused about how to get through the fence to
reach our room. Another English speaking couple came along the street at that
very moment. They were from Australia and had lived in both Melbourne and
Canberra. Of course, a conversation ensued, followed by drinks at a local pub,
followed by dinner at a nearby restaurant. We did not get back to our hotel for
several hours, having had a wonderful evening with new found friends!!
What a great day we had had!!
Sunday, September 25, 2016 Lake
Baikal
We were up early this morning for a
trip to Lake Baikal. Lake Baikal is the largest fresh water lake in the world
with a volume of water that exceeds the total amount of water in all the Great
Lakes combined. The lake is 636 kilometres long and is 60 kilometres wide. At
its deepest point, it has been measured at over 1700 metres. Scientists feel it
may actually be deeper because of the amount of sediment that sits on the
bottom.
We began our journey with a two hour
train trip to a small village on the edge of the lake. Here, it was necessary
for the train to exchange engines. We had been travelling with an electric
engine up to this point, but the track around the lake was not electrified so a
diesel engine was required. We then spent the next eight hours travelling on a
cliff track at the edge of the lake. It was a treacherous track to build and 38
tunnels were necessary to complete the project. Lake Baikal stretched endlessly
beside us. Of course, it was never possible to see across the water.
Along the edge of the lake were a
number of tiny fishing villages with boats stored on the rocky shore. At one
larger town, there were cranes on the dock to unload heavier cargo. Some of the
village populations were less than 20 people. There are over 50 species of fish
in the lake, most of which do not occur anywhere else in the world. The best
known is Omul which is being significantly reduced in abundance due to the
presence of seals on Lake Baikal. The seal population is estimated to be
between 80,000 and 100,000 seals and they eat a LOT of fish. This species has
been here for many thousands of years and has adapted to life in fresh water.
Consequently, they cannot be relocated as there are no other similar fresh
water lakes in Russia. This is creating a problem for the fishing industry.
Our train stopped at a few small
places along the route, mainly for the passengers to stretch their legs.
Frankly, there was very little of interest at any of them other than very
rugged paths that led to undefined destinations. The most interesting village
was the one where we ate lunch. It has a population of 21 who collectively feed
the passengers on this train (approx. 100) four days per week through the
summer season. What a boon to the village economy during that time … but what a
challenge for such a small workforce. Lunch consisted of a delicious
cabbage/vegetable soup, chicken cutlet, mashed potatoes, bread and a
pre-wrapped dessert.
At lunch, we happened to sit beside a
couple from Devon, England who had boarded the train in their home village and
were travelling all the way to Vladivostock. Now, that is a train trip!! Like
us, they have stopped off in a number of cities for a day or two. It was
reassuring to hear them recount how tired they were after a night or two on the
train and how they appreciated the occasional leisurely morning to catch up on
sleep. Whew!! We are not the only feeling the effects of extensive train
travel. They were impressed with our plan to continue travelling by train after
Vladivostock south into Mongolia and China. We continue to be excited to
continue our journey.
At the end of our train journey, we
boarded a ferry to cross back to the other side of the lake, a fairly short
trip as we were at the southern end of this incredible body of water. From
there, we boarded a bus that brought us back to Irkutsk. Our guide helped us
get off the bus quite near our hotel (we had no idea where we were at that
point and it was pitch black outside). We recognized the corner and thanked our
guide for her time. We had also recognized a familiar restaurant where we
decided to get some dinner. A Subway!!! Yes, a Subway – we each ordered a
sandwich by pointing to the signs and to the condiments and happily ate
something very familiar before walking the short distance up the hill to our
hotel.
Monday, September 26, 2016 Irkutsk
We spent much of Monday morning in
our hotel room, organizing such mundane things as laundry, a massive leak that
had occurred in the ceiling of our bathroom, a malfunctioning refrigerator, and
details of our trip forward from Irkutsk (we leave on Wednesday). Once life
felt it was under control again, we headed out into the sunlight and enjoyed a
stroll along the pedestrian mall that is adjacent to our hotel …. down about 50
steps. We first went to the park at one end to view the mysterious creature
that has become the mascot of Irkutsk. A large statue of an animal that is
somewhat wolf-like with a broad tail and enormous claws stands proudly holding
a sable in its mouth. Some say that it is what is imagined that the Siberian
Tiger once looked like. Others say it is a mythical creature from ancient
tales, perhaps called Babar. Of course, we took the mandatory photos, fighting
hard with the pedestrian traffic to get a clear shot. Interesting.
We followed other walkers along the
mall, stopping occasionally to read a menu (or at least try to), to admire
buildings which were a blend of new and old (refurbished), to peek at a
souvenir shop (we are saving all our souvenir shopping for Vladivostock) and
generally to enjoy the sun-drenched wonderful autumn day. We did stop for lunch
at a café that was literally underneath our hotel, enjoying a beer, some soup
and a shared bowl of ice cream. Ice cream is a favourite treat for Russians and
we had not yet indulged. This was a simple dish of vanilla ice cream drizzled
with honey and sprinkled with pine nuts. Delicious!
Speaking of pine nuts, they are an
abundant and well loved autumn snack in this region. The local population eat
them as we eat sunflower seeds, first removing the shells by hand or tooth and
then munching on the seed itself. Small bags of the seeds can be found in car
cup containers, people’s pockets and handbags. One can often hear a familiar
crunching sound, a signal that someone nearby is indulging. Streetside vendors
have large boxes of seeds available for purchase by weight. Take as many as you
like. Oddly, although they come from pine trees, the common street name is
cedar seeds.
Now back to our stroll …. After lunch
we continued up the slope toward a large structure at the top of the mall. In
due course, we realized it was a substantial shopping mall filled with shops
very reminiscent of a mall at home. Of course, most of the stores were
different from home but the variety was similar – electronics, shoes, clothing,
toys, cosmetics, accessories. Many featres of this mall suggested that it was
an upscale shopping experience. Four levels of shops with an open concourse,
complete with a large water fountain, a large hanging pink Eiffel Tower and a
café. On the top floor was the food court, again similar in style to those at
home. We wandered around for a while and then headed to the supermarket on the
first floor. It is hard to believe that we have been in Russia for two full
weeks and have not yet explored a supermarket. We have just been too busy and
somewhat without need or opportunity. So here we were!
Upon entry, it felt very similar to
our medium-sized grocery stores. Shopping carts or baskets were available and
the very first thing inside was a specialty imported fruit section. We passed
by that and began exploring other areas of the store. There were predictable
items in cans, boxes and bags – pasta, soups, sauces, condiments, paper
products etc. It was when we got to the deli area that it became more
interesting. An array of fish, both fresh and smoked, were on display, sold by
the gram. A whole range of cheese was displayed in packages too large for us to
manage. There did not appear to be a way of purchasing smaller amounts.
Elaborate and rich desserts were displayed as temptations and there was a
substantial prepared food area including cooked meats and salads.
Packaged cold cuts and salamis were
abundant, some familiar and some very strange to our eye. Similarly, there were
innumerable small plastic containers of processed fish, many varieties, some in
sauces and some neatly arranged in the containers on their own. A small bakery
section was nearby, individual rolls, small loaves of bread. We did not see any
larger bakery options. There was also a selection of pastries, both savoury and
sweet. A substantial beer, wine and liquor section was nearby and another area
for snack food, both familiar products (chips) and unfamiliar.
We decided to have a light
supermarket dinner so we chose some items we knew we would enjoy – salami,
bread rolls, marinated cabbage salad, bananas – and we already had some cheese
in our room. It was fun to make our selections, unable to read any of the
labels. We also picked up some biscuits and some noodle soup for our
forthcoming 3 day train trip.
We meandered back down the mall and
climbed the long flight of steps to our hotel. We were home!! And we thoroughly
enjoyed our picnic meal right in our own room.
Tuesday, September 27, 2016 Back
to Lake Baikal
We were excited to go on our
adventure today. We were being picked up by our guide, Katerina, and
transported by road back to the Lake Baikal area to explore local communities,
two museums, lake myths, a high lake overlook and lunch in a lakeside
restaurant. As it happened, Katerina had absolutely flawless English and was
willing to discuss any topic that we liked. It was a going to be a great day.
The weather was beautiful, the best
day so far!! We headed out of town along a road that led to the lake. It was
under construction and although we had travelled along the same road the other
night, we had not been able to see the extent of the work being done. It was
being transformed from an old two lane road into a four lane expressway.
Overpasses were being erected, land was being cleared for new lanes, electrical
lines and other services were being moved and there was all manner of equipment
lumbering along in every direction imaginable. It made us feel right at home as
we recalled how difficult it is to travel in our own city at the moment.
Somewhat later along the drive, we
began to parallel the river Angara. Lake Baikal receives water from 336 rivers
but only one river flows out of the lake, the Angara, a substantial river that
flows all the way to the Arctic Ocean. For now, we were enjoying the view of
this wide river through the pine and birch forest that parallel its banks.
About an hour along our journey, we
stopped at a pioneer village, created from original buildings that came from
villages along the Angara that were going to be flooded to create basins to use
in a major hydro-electrical project. As with any such project, there were many,
many people who would lose their homes and be displaced. Many of those people
simply had to pack all their belongings and literally burn their homes to the
ground to prevent the logs from these homes clogging the river years in the
future. How difficult that must have been!
But some of the buildings were moved
to the location of this village, refurbished and furnished to reflect life at
the end of the 19th century. Two churches, a school, a government
office, several houses, shops and stableyards were already on display. During
that period of history, the village would have been fortified by walls and
watchtowers which were also in place. We could visualize the lifestyle of the
early settlers in Siberia, the importance of the wood stove to cook and to heat
the home, the small doors to prevent heat from escaping, the lofts where
families (sometimes up to 15 children) slept because heat rises, the dowry
trunks and the beautiful stitchery completed by the young women as a way of attracting
a husband.
A couple of interesting things: only
one child from each family attended school, not necessarily the youngest or the
oldest or the smartest, but the one who was least useful at home. Also, in
courtship leading to marriage, a young man would visit the homes of the women
who interested him to look at the contents of their dowry trunks. Who had
produced the most items? Who had created the most beautiful things? Whose
stitchery was the finest? Our guide described it as, “Show me what you’ve got.”
I silently chuckled thinking what a different interpretation that phrase would
have in 2016. As a way of announcing an engagement, the young couple would
empty the dowry trunk and display the items on a carriage, travelling through
the town together to show off what had attracted the groom to the bride. One
final note about marriage … the young woman who was selected had no need to be
able to cook. For the first several months of a marriage, the young couple
would live with the husband’s family and the mother-in-law would teach the
bride how to cook for her son, all his favourite dishes.
We thoroughly enjoyed the pioneer
village but soon it was time to move on. Before long, we were at the source of
the Angara River where it flowed out of Lake Baikal. And there was the
beautiful lake, blue water glittering in the bright sunshine. Next stop was
lunch at a lakeside restaurant. We enjoyed our view of the water while
indulging in such local dishes as omul soup (omul is one of 50 unique varieties
of fish that live in Lake Baikal), shashlik (shishkebab made from beef and pork
with a tomato sauce), boiled potatoes (ever present at a Russian meal) and a
sweet cake dessert. Black tea followed the meal.
After lunch we headed to a second
museum, equally interesting as the first. It was a marine research station with
displays about the lake itself. We learned more about how the lake was formed
(tectonic plates moving apart at 1 cm a year); about the cleanliness of the
water with special bacterial and crustacean organisms that keep it completely
clean (when it freezes the ice is clear and it is possible to see the plants,
rocks and lake bottom); about the fish (50 different varieties) and the only
fresh water seals in the world; about the challenge of actually naming a lake
the largest fresh water lake in the world – is it based on surface area; volume
of water; depth of the lake; shore length? – so many lakes could lay claim to
the title depending on the criteria – Lake Baikal, Lake Tanganyika, Lake
Superior are but three. This museum also had aquaria to view several fish
species and two live lake seals, much rounder and fatter than ocean seals
because they have an extra layer of fat on their bodies. Another great little
museum.
Moving on again, we travelled to a lookout
high on a hill above the lake – stunning scenery! We visited a village church
that has recently been totally refurbished – quite beautiful. We stopped to see
a rock that has mythical proportions in story but is miniscule in size – even
our guide was laughing with us when we saw it. And we stopped to stroll briefly
to walk on the very rocky beach, have photos taken and Jim dipped his hand into
the very cold water. Our last stop was a village market known for its fish and
its souvenirs. When we arrived, we became aware that the market has just
sustained a major fire and most of the stalls were burned. One end was still
operating selling fish and some produce but it was not the market experience we
had hoped for. Our hearts go out to the people of the village as they rebuild
and hopefully recover from such a devastating event.
We had a very pleasant drive home
with a lively conversation with Katerina. We have enjoyed this day totally –
probably our best day yet!
Wednesday, September 28, 2016 Irkutsk
This was planned to be a very quiet day and a
good thing that is! Jim awoke with a very sore leg this morning with no
explanation of why. He waited until noon to see if it would improve with no
avail. So, every resourceful, Jim found a nearby massage therapist and set off
to do just that. Two hours later, he returned having had a lengthy sauna, a
thorough massage and a hot shower. His leg feels somewhat improved but not
perfect so this is a great day to lay low.
Later today we will say farewell to Irkutsk
which we have come to love and board a train destined for Ulan Ude. The train
leaves at 9 pm and arrives at Ulan Ude at 3:30 am!! Yuck!! Very little sleep
predicted so an afternoon nap is definitely in order today.
We napped, packed and had dinner at a nearby
restaurant (best cream of mushroom soup ever!! Served in a hollow loaf of
pumpernickel bread). After dinner, I paused briefly on a bench along the
promenade while Jim went into a shop to buy a postcard. Within 2 minutes, a
young Chinese man was seated beside me with his camera, asking if he could take
a photo of the two of us. I guess he thought I was an old Russian woman and I
wasn’t even wearing a babushka!! Fortunately, Jim arrived on the scene at that
moment and we moved on to our hotel. There are loads of Chinese tourists in
Ulan Ude. Much more could be said about that.
Our driver was there and delivered us to the
train station but he would not help us move our bags to the platform. First
time we have experienced this lack of support … and we were paying him to do
just that. Nonetheless, he left us to our own devices but we found a porter who
was happy to take us to our car and carry our bags … for money, of course. In
the realm of all things it was a momentary frustration but a good decision to
use the porter.
On board …. G’night all. A short night
awaits.
Thursday, September 29, 2016 Ulan
Ude
Happy 10th Anniversary, David and
Karen!
A rap on our cabin door 30 minutes before the
train stopped alerted us to the fact that we had almost arrived in Ulan Ude.
Bags in hand we exited the train into the blackness of the night. Happily, our
driver was on the platform and he was willing to carry bags. The long flight of
stairs up and over the tracks was daunting but we made it to the car and were very
soon at our hotel.
And what a hotel it is!! Jim has done a great
job of finding lovely places for us to stay but this one tops them all. We are
on the 9th floor of an exceptionally clean and modern hotel in a
huge two room suite overlooking the city. City lights by night and beautiful
views by day. But for now, more sleep!!
At 10 am our guide picked us up. What a
lovely young woman she was, somehow balancing the role of English teacher in a
school with providing guide services as well. She explained more as the day
went on. Many Russians have more than one job. She negotiates with her partner
teachers to take her classes on the days that she is guiding. She teaches
English to a variety o grades but for language instruction, the classes are
divided in half so one teacher can take the full class when she is guiding. (There
must be pay-back at some point but she did not articulate how that worked.)
Guiding pays substantially more than teaching in a school and it is income that
is not taxed.
Apparently there are 3 systems for being paid
in Russia. The ‘white’ system is the one Canadians are most familiar with. An
organization pays your salary and deducts income tax from your pay on a regular
basis. Most government and public organizations in Russia pay their employees
this way. Income tax represents about 40 % of salary. Teachers earn about
$2000.00 per month after tax.
The second way to be paid is the ‘black’
system, in which some of your pay has income tax deducted from it but the
balance of your pay comes in cash in an envelope and is not subject to tax. An
employee can decide what the balance should be between taxed and untaxed
income.
The third system is the ‘red’ system in which
all of your money is given to you in cash in an envelope and none of it is
taxed at the source. This seems to be how guiding works. So not only do guides
get paid more per hour than teachers, there is also no tax deducted, thus
leaving even more money in the envelope. We did not have a chance to ask what
happens if the government decides to charge the income tax that has not been
paid. We surmise that the individual and not the organization would be held
responsible for that.
Another interesting thing about guiding is
that all official guides must pass an annual written exam on the history,
geography, culture and cuisine of their guiding region. As new information and
changes occur, they are required to attend classes to ensure they have the most
current information to share with visitors.
Ulan Ude is a community of about 700,000
people just east of Lake Baikal. Lake Baikal is an unofficial boundary in
Russia. To the west, most people are of European descent whereas to the east of
Lake Baikal, there is a much greater Asian influence. Here in Ulan Ude, much of
the population has migrated north from Mongolia and reflects that in
appearance, food, religion and culture.
Our first destination for the morning took us
on a short drive outside Ulan Ude to the Ivolginsky Datsan (Buddhist Monastery).
Along the way, we could see how Ulan Ude is expanding quickly into the
agricultural areas that surround the city. New wooden homes with small plots of
land are occupying space that previously was used for food production. In
places, we saw new construction side by side with harvesting of crops. Cabbage
is certainly a prime crop in this area, not surprisingly as cabbage is a main
component of many common dishes. Korean farm workers were in the fields
harvesting as we drove by.
The Buddhist faith is prevalent in the Buryat
region. We have not encountered Buddhism in Russia prior to this point. Our
guide, a Buddhist herself, was articulate about the main tenets of the faith
and showed us how these were reflected in the symbols and actions of Buddhists.
The buildings at the monastery were elaborate and colourful, each designed for
a specific purpose ranging from worship and prayer to the final resting place
of a 900 year old monk whose remains are kept safe in a container in a crypt.
He has never been officially declared dead as he has not decayed in the way
that most humans do. The monastery did look a bit tired and needed some paint
and some landscaping to make it more inviting and attractive.
Following a very interesting and informative
tour of the monastery, we were taken to a Buryat restaurant for lunch, the Baaterai
Urgoo. It was an interesting complex of buildings including an entrance that
was very Chinese in appearance and our actual meal inside a yurt. We enjoyed a
lovely green salad, shooler (noodle soup), boozas (dumplings with meat) and a
very sweet date/nut dessert along with boove (pastry cookies). A cup of tea
followed. The main meal in Russia is lunch. And the size of our meal certainly
supported that concept. A group of Russians arrived with a bottle of vodka and
a willingness to share but it was too late for us to partake as our guide was
due to pick us up within a few minutes. So disappointing …
Following lunch, we drove through some more
upscale neighbourhoods where the homes were constructed from concrete and
brick. Wood construction is less expensive due to the easy access to pine logs
and lumber. More expensive homes reflect their value in their building
materials. In design, the log homes are much simpler whereas the brick homes
are not unlike what many of our suburban homes look like.
We stopped an open air museum, the
Ethnographic Museum, which offered displays of life in this area beginning about
5000 years ago. There were large stones embedded in the ground that had
carvings of deer, goats, symbols of the sun and other signs. It is amazing that
these carvings have survived so long given that they have no protection
whatsoever from the elements of nature and human.
A walk through the forest brought us to an
area where homes that resemble teepees have been reconstructed to show the
early dwellings of inhabitants of this area. The leaders and wealthy in each
tribe lived in teepees that were constructed from birch branches all leaning
into the peek and covered in furs of animals hunted in the area (deer, sable,
fox). Other teepees in a community would be also constructed from long birch
branches but covered with tree bark from the plentiful pine and birch forests.
The shaman in each village had a special covering over his teepee and a set of
totems laying on a raised flat platform in front of the teepee. Additional
totems were upright along both sides of his teepee.
Yurts followed as housing because of their
portability to follow herds and climatic conditions. When the need for more
permanent housing emerged, log homes shaped like yurts were among the first
built. This was a time of integration of original tribes and new settlers who
needed to find ways to respect each others’ ways of life. Eventually the yurt
shape gave way to a rectangular shaped home with small windows and low doorways
to prevent the escape of heat during the winter. Even among the oldest
buildings in this museum, there was evidence of beautiful carvings adorning
doorways, window frames and exterior trim. These buildings were clearly
intended to be used and cared for many years. It was a delight to see such
painstaking and intricate work.
Also in this open air museum are a church, a
school, and some homes from wealthy ancestors. As we were almost finished our
walk around, it began to rain so we stopped in a nearby café for a rest and a
coffee. Our guide filled this time with additional stories about life in past
times and was happy to answer questions we had about modern Buryat culture as
well.
Next on the list of things to see was another
Buddhist monastery high atop a hill overlooking the city of Ulan Ude. The
weather was quite changeable and by the time we reached the top of the hill,
the sun had reappeared. What a view we had!! A panorama of the city with the mighty
River Selenga flowing through the middle. It is one of the 336 rivers that
flows into Lake Baikal to the west. To give some sense of size of this river,
it is notable that it provides 50% of the fresh water that fills Lake Baikal.
That is a lot of water.
We were also able to pick out some landmarks
(our hotel, the train station) and see how congested the city is. In the
centre, most people live in highrise apartment blocks (modern ones have
elevators, those from Soviet times are 5 story walk-ups). Many, many people in
a very small space. As the eye travelled out of the centre of the city, suburbs
became the norm. Small wooden homes built on small plots of land, often with
dusty, unpaved laneways between them.
In the distance yet still in the city, there
were sets of red and white smokestacks which marked the coal driven power
plants. Apartment blocks were provided with central heating from these plants.
Individual dwellings had to be self-reliant for warmth and most used wood to
heat their homes. In the nearest neighbourhoods, we could see the large
woodpiles near each house, ready to be used as the weather turns colder. At
least one home had a fire going today and smoke was pouring out the chimney. It
is difficult to imagine the air quality in a large city in which most
individual homes burn wood and generate smoke. Some people are gradually
changing to gas but it is a more expensive source of heat.
Also at the top of this hill was another
Buddhist monastery. Unlike the one we visited this morning, the Datsan Rinpoche
Bagsha (Buddhist Monastery) featured an attractive site filled with gardens
paved walkways. The temple and the stupas were in good repair and gleamed in
the sunlight. Although quite a contrast from one another, both monasteries
created a sense of calm, peace and welcome. A good place to take a deep breath
and be thankful …
Our last stop on this very full day was the
main square in the centre of the city. The first thing we did was run an errand
with the assistance of our guide. We needed a stamp to mail a postcard and she
took us to the main post office. The procedure to purchase a stamp was quite
different from home and, of course, the language is always an obstacle. We are
quite sure we could have managed on our own but our guide was very helpful in
expediting this task.
We walked to the middle of the main square
which is surrounded by several significant buildings – the Opera House, the
Buryat Region Government Building, the Broadcasting Headquarters for the
region, the Central Post Office, and a university building. But the feature of
this square that is most memorable is the statue of Lenin’s head … yes, just
his head! The largest statue of his head anywhere in the world. Made of bronze,
it sits atop a small concrete base and weighs 42 tons. Oddly enough, the head
is actually hollow and had to be transported in two pieces from Britain where
it was cast to Ulan Ude. It was one of the first significant cargo shipments on
the Trans-Siberian Railway.
Late in the afternoon, we were dropped off at
our hotel where we gratefully retired to our room. It had been a long day with
an early start. We decided to have a light dinner at the hotel restaurant. It
turned out to be closed for a private function and we were directed to the 12th
floor bar. What luck was that!! A choice of beverages, a light menu and a
revolving bar overlooking the many directions of the city as it turned slowly
on its axel. About one complete turn per hour. It was a clear night and the
lights were beautiful to see. It was a wonderful way to complete another
amazing day on this journey.
Friday, September 30, 2016 Ulan
Ude
We slept well last night and had a leisurely
start to our day today. We enjoyed the elaborate buffet breakfast that our
hotel offered. We even took a second cup of coffee with us to our room.
Sadly, the internet in this hotel is not what
we have been accustomed to. This limits our ability to communicate with our
world at home. And, as we are boarding the train tonight for 3 days with no
internet access at all, we did have a few things we wanted to take care of
today. Alas …. We harkened back to the early days of our travelling when we had
no options of communicating with home at all.
Today is a day of organization – what do we
need for the train in the way of food and clothing? Are we ready for a change
in countries in less than a week? Is our technology all charged up and ready to
go? And do we have enough cash to see us through?
After some preparations in our room, we
struck out to explore the neighbourhood and to visit a local supermarket. Our hotel
is situated among a residential area comprised of at least twenty apartment
buildings. The smallest of them (5 storey walk ups) would have 40 apartments
each. The population of this single area must be in the thousands.
In between each building was a small park and
children’s playground. They were all quite clean but worn. The grass was
virtually gone and the equipment was old and unattractive. We were looking for
a café where we might have a coffee, but other than our hotel, we could not
find one. We did find a very small supermarket where we purchased some cheese
and bread to take on the train with us.
It was interesting to be out among the local
people. We stood out in the crowd, partly due to the camera around my neck;
partly due to our fair complexions; and partly because of the clothing we were
wearing. It is September 30 and autumn is well established here. Leaves have
turned colour and many have fallen to the ground. Berries have ripened on the
bushes and birds are happily munching away, increasing their girth for winter.
The day was a bit chilly but not at all what we would consider cold. I was
wearing a sweater and Jim, a long sleeved shirt. We were both quite
comfortable.
The locals, on the other hand, were dressed
for winter – winter coats, hats, scarves and babies bundled up in snowsuits and
blankets deeply nestled in their baby buggies (yes … buggies … not many
strollers to be seen). We have noticed this urgency to wear winter gear in
other places as well and have asked our guides about it. “Well,”, is the
answer, “the weather is changing and we do not want to be cold.” “But if you
were all these winter clothes now, what do you wear for warmth in January?”
“Our fur coats!” OK, then. In Canada, we
seem to make a more gradual shift from summer to fall to winter clothes but
most of us do not have fur coats to wear in the coldest weather.
I will sheepishly admit that I was grateful
to be back inside the hotel after an hour or so outside. Maybe it was a bit
chilly to just wear a sweater.
Saturday, October 1, 2016 -
Monday, October 3, 2016
Bound
for Vladivostok
Day 1
The alarm rang early this morning … at
exactly 2:30 am. We needed to be showered, dressed and packed for our pick-up
to the train station at 3:30! Our train to Vladivostok was leaving the station
at 4:20 am.
Our hotel was gracious in providing us with a
carry-bag of food, enough for both breakfast and lunch on the train, and our
driver was eager to share the weather conditions with us – rain and hail!!
Yikes! Off we went into the chilly night.
The train, predictably left right on time. We
are not sure how they do it but every train we have been on so far has left
every station on time. There are two tracks all the way across Russia and
passenger trains do not sit on the sidings waiting for freight trains to
trundle past. In fact, passenger trains seem to have precedence on the tracks.
By the time the train pulled out of the
station, we had settled into our compartment, home for the next 3 days, and had
our heads on the pillows already. More sleep was in order and we seem to have
adapted to being able to sleep soundly on the train.
Much better rested a few hours later, our day
was filled with pleasurable time. We both enjoy looking out the windows and taking
in the scenery and snapping innumerable photos. Today, the scenery was quite
different from areas we have passed through before. Although the landscape was
still largely forested, today we saw many more larch trees with needles deep
yellow, ready to fall to the ground. There were also many more hills than we
have seen before and the train wound through them mainly by following the paths
of rivers through valleys between the slopes. Thus, we seemed to change
direction many times and for a while were heading quite far north before
turning east again. The weather was quite changeable – everything from snow
(yes it did snow on October 1!) and rain to beautiful sunshine and vivid blue
skies. But the air remained quite chilly all day long. Happily the interior of
the train was very comfortable.
The first part of our journey today took us
through vast areas that seem to be uninhabited but gradually that changed and
more and more tiny villages and dirt roads came into view. Agriculture became
more prevalent with hay cut, fields plowed and home gardens cleaned up for the
season. That is, everything but the beautiful heads of cabbage that contrasted
against the dark, moist soil. We began to see small clusters of cattle and, on
occasion, significant herds. Other farm animals also came into view – horses,
sheep, pigs. What we also noticed were the vast woodpiles that have been
prepared for use in home heating throughout the winter. Even though the homes
are small, the temperatures dip well below -30C, so it requires a lot of wood
to keep the houses warm.
We followed several rivers today, each one
wide and flowing strong. It has been a dry summer season here and it was easy
to see that, at times, the rivers are much more bountiful than they were today.
Nonetheless, they were wide and deep … and most likely cold, as well.
As we passed the many villages, we noted that
there were several abandoned buildings and factories. We think that this may be
related to the end of collective farms following the Soviet era. Empty housing
and decaying industrial buildings were all part of the landscape. It appears
that now most villagers have a standardized sized piece of property which they
use to meet their needs. Large gardens, some animals, woodpiles, workshops and
laundry lines. Yes, it was laundry day in many households and clean clothes
were flapping in the wind. One line displayed little pink baby clothes. I
wonder who lives there?
We passed the day reading, chatting, taking
turns using the camera. We spent much of the day in the dining car where the
windows are larger and cleaner. There is still a nasty reflection in the window
that will render many photos unusable. All a part of train travel.
And now the day has come to an end and we are
ready for sleep again. Tomorrow promises to be another good day!!
Day 2
Sunday passed much as Saturday did. Much
scenery, few people, dirt roads and fast flowing rivers. We headed quite far
north due to the configuration of the China/Mongolia/Russia borders. Autumn was
far advanced further north and many of the trees had lost all their leaves, in
particular the birch. Tall bare stands of white trunks glistening in the sun
were a feast for the eyes. A new species of tree has made its way into the
landscape – the larch tree. Vast forests of larch cover large swaths of land,
their needles bright yellow, ready to take flight when the next wind blows.
Larch trees are deciduous trees disguised as coniferous in that they have
lovely soft needles that change colour and fall to the ground in the autumn.
New growth in the spring is a vibrant green. There were areas where fire had
passed through the forests and the mature trees were gone. New growth in many
colours – red, yellow, orange, green – covers the landscape. Small bushes,
fledgling trees, various grasses and vied for life. But still very little
habitation.
Roads in the area were few and far between.
When they did exist, they follow the train tracks , narrow dirt tracks that
occasionally curve and disappear into the forests or fields. I would estimate
that through the entire day, travelling over 1000 kilometres, we saw about five
vehicles. Once in a while, we would cross a paved road, always near a small
town or city. Of course, there were more vehicles travelling along them – cars,
small trucks, jeeps and once in a while a transport truck. It became clear to
us that most cargo that crosses Russia does so by train. There is a
trans-Russia highway and we speculated what it would be like to travel these
9000 kilometres along that road. Even we, fairly intrepid travelers, found that
notion to be more than a little daunting. We are happy to be on the train.
We have met several of our companion
travelers – a recently retired mother from France, journeying to Japan to visit
her son and his family; two widows from the UK who travel together to new
places whenever possible; another couple from the UK visiting Russia for the
first time; two fellows from the Netherlands whose train journey began north of
the Arctic Circle in Murmansk, and a young man born in Vietnam, living in Austria
and headed for Japan. When asked why any one of them were on this train, the
answer was always “because”. ”Why not?”
The one downside of this day is that I seem
to have protracted a cold, a miserable head cold, that has caused me to feel
sorry for myself and take frequent naps. I will say, though, that having a cold
on the train does not impact our travel in any way. The train keeps going. My
bed is ready and the windows beckon my attention even when I am holding my
head. Tylenol also helps. Hopefully, by the time we reach Vladivostok, I will
be feeling much better.
Day 3
Another night has come and gone and it is
Monday now. We are not sure what time it is here as all trains across Russia
operate on Moscow time. We have passed through at least five time zones since
then … and maybe 6. What we do know is that by bedtime tonight we will have
reached our destination, 9000 kilometres east of Moscow.
We have turned south now and are travelling
along the river that creates the boundary between Russia and China. Although we
cannot see the river, evidence of the proximity of a boundary is clear by the
manned guardposts situated along the train tracks at regular intervals. As
well, a special ‘high’ conductor has just made her way through the train
checking tickets and passports for all the passengers.
The vegetation has also changed. As we travel
south, fewer trees have lost their leaves and the forests are once again
vibrant red, orange and yellow. Birch trees still predominate but there are
fewer pine trees and many more varieties of deciduous trees. Some we recognize
(chestnut, sumac) and many we do not. We had a chuckle when I said with some
surprise, “Those trees look like the Russian olives we have in the
backyard.” Duhhhh ….
More agriculture is visible including large
cultivated fields. The crop for this year has already been removed so it is
hard to know what was grown. In the dacha gardens along the tracks, there are
also some new crops. Along with the ever present cabbage, we have seen corn and
pumpkins, crops that require a longer growing season than is available further
north. Fewer greenhouses too. Perhaps the tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers
thrive outside here.
As we drew closer to Vladivostok, there was a
palpable urgency on the train to arrive and move to the next stage of
experience. Suitcases were packed; passengers change from casual clothes
(sometimes dressing gowns) into more city-suited outfits; cabins were tidied;
and before too long, but long before we arrived, a line-up was forming in the
narrow corridor alongside our cabins.
Jim and I chose to remain in our own space
until the train came to a stop at the station. We felt quite confident, once
again, that our driver would be at the door of the carriage awaiting our
arrival. We were not disappointed. Together we climbed the 36 steps up and over
the top of the train tracks with all our luggage in tow (we really have to get
better at packing light). As in most stations, even major ones, there were no
elevators. And we made our way very quickly to our hotel. It did not take long
to get checked in and say farewell to our driver. It was a very nice feeling to
be in a larger space with a real bed for the night.
One last thought … Happy 2nd
Birthday, Clara. We love you!!
Tuesday, October 4, 2016 Vladivostok
This morning began with a lovely skype call
to our family in Elmira. It was Clara’s birthday and we wanted to ‘see’ her and
wish her a happy day in the best way we could, given how far away from home we
are. The internet and Skype cooperated well and we were able to have a happy
and lengthy call with everyone.
Next came a leisurely and tasty breakfast in
the hotel dining room. A great array of foods were available, quite different
from the bread and cheese we have been eating on the train. What a treat!!
Back to our room to get ready to go out for
the day … and then it happened!!! Jim had had both our passports last night
when we checked into the hotel. And now he only had his. We checked my purse
just in case we had forgotten that he had given it back to me. Nothing there.
We went through all our luggage to see if it had somehow migrated to a new
location. Nothing there. We checked through the dirty laundry, through the wet
towels from our showers, under the beds, in the beds, in the closet, behind the
desk, through the hotel booklet, even in the pockets of clothing we have not
worn at all. Nothing ….NOTHING!!!
Jim looked into how to replace a passport in
Vladivostok. There is a Canadian consulate here. But then, how do we replace my
Russian visa? At wits end, Jim went down to the hotel desk in the lobby to ask
for their assistance and they had a good look through the documents they had
received last night. After the second look around, they found my passport in a
pile of papers. It had, in fact, never been returned to Jim when he got his
own. Talk about a sigh of relief!!!!! If it had been later in the day, we might
have even opted for a drink!! But our taxi and guide for the day were waiting
and we set off to have a wonderful day!!
Our destination today was the brand new
aquarium that has only been open for three weeks. It was quite a long drive
from our hotel and we got a good glimpse of Vladivostok along the way. A city
of 600,000 people, it is spread out over a wide geographic area, the city
separate from the suburbs, wide bodies of water dividing it into distinct
sections and islands that are quite separate from the mainland. There are two
very, very long suspension bridges that connect various districts of the city.
One of them was built to create an expressway across the centre of the city. It
also crosses some large expanses of water and is said to be one of the longest
suspension bridges in Asia. The other bridge connects the city to one of the
islands where the aquarium is located.
The aquarium is brand new and is already
attracting very large crowds. Parking is some distance from the main building
and busses are used to transport the guests to the front door. And what an
impressive building it is. Everything in the design and the execution leads a
visitor to believe that we are all underwater with the fish and other species
in the ocean. Even the light fixtures
were anemones or shrimp or starfish. The floor has various colours and textures
mirroring the many ocean bottoms – rocks, sand, coral, seaweed. Some of the
flooring changes colour as you walk across it and some of it has images of fish
swimming through it. The ceilings are textured in many different ways, all
reflecting the flow of water in the ocean, using various materials that
reflect, float, undulate or glow. Even without seeing the exhibits, this
building is a sight to behold.
And the exhibits match the building. They are
exceptional!! We were especially interested in the displays about Russian fish
and other ocean creatures. The information was posted in both Russian and
English which was very helpful to us. And, like many modern aquaria, there were
moving sidewalks and tunnels where the fish could swim above your head. There
was a section devoted to life in Lake Baikal which we had visited earlier this
week with some of the 52 species of fish particular to that lake. Another
fascinating section focused on the Arctic Ocean which Canada shares with
Russia. We were interested to see what they highlighted as noteworthy features
– both ocean life and land animals. It was really interesting to see the
similarity between what we value in the Arctic and what is valued here. The
more we seem different, the more we are alike. That has been a theme for us
throughout all our experiences here.
We enjoyed the aquarium immensely but we did
not enjoy the ride back to our hotel. It was rush hour and the traffic was so
congested that no one was moving anywhere. It took almost 2 hours to travel the
same route that took 45 minutes in the morning. The best part of that trip was
that we were able to watch the city slowly pass us by. We saw some beautiful
buildings, both old and new. We saw some interesting people, stylish and
traditional. And we saw a lot of Japanese cars, all right hand drive.
Sprinkled throughout the city are large
tracts of forest. Autumn has not quite arrived in Vladivostok; the leaves on
the trees are still mostly green. Chestnut trees are abundant, whole forests of
them as we drove along. But, according to our guide, Olga, no one collects the
chestnuts. We were surprised to hear this and will check again to make sure.
We had dinner in our hotel. The restaurant is
reported to be one of the 10 best seafood restaurants in the city. Predictably,
Jim and I ordered some unusual dishes – sea cucumber (never tried that before …
nor will we again) and dumplings filled with shrimp. They were tastier than the
sea cucumber. Jim had borscht with reindeer meat (very tender) and I had Tom
Yum soup with shrimp (delicious). Overall a good meal … but not the best we
have had.
And so now we are back in our room, relaxing
for the evening. Tomorrow will be a new day with a new adventure. We are
looking forward to that.
And, just for the record, my passport is
safely tucked away in my purse.
Wednesday, October 5, 2016 Vladivostok
Another full day lies ahead of us today. We
are going on a city tour and then a visit to one of the outlying islands that
surround Vladivostok. Vladivostok is very much a port city with sea surrounding
it on three sides. Our day began by crossing one of the vast suspension bridges
that enable traffic to flow and heading out to one of the original lighthouses.
Of course, it is controlled and operated electronically now but in former days,
there was a lighthouse keeper who manually operated the light and sounded the
foghorn. And there are stories that went with the person and the lighthouse
itself. This lighthouse guides ships through one of three entrances to the very
protected harbour in Vladivostok.
From the lighthouse, we travelled back into
the city and visited the train station, the very station we had arrived at just
two nights ago. By day it is a beautiful building, quite ornate and elegant,
built just around the turn on the century in 1900. Tsar Nicholas III visited
Vladivostok and put the spade in the ground for this building. (He was actually
the son of the current tsar but did inherit the title upon his father’s death.)
In his honour, there was a large city archway constructed just up the hill from
where we stepped onto land. During the Soviet era, the arch was demolished but
after 1991, when the Communist regime ended, the people of Vladivostok raised
money so the arch could be perfectly replicated in the same location as the
first arch.
By now, it was raining quite hard and our
plans had to be modified with less walking around places and more looking them
though the wet car windows. Next came an architectural tour of the city, with
our guide pointing out the three most prevalent building styles in the city.
One was described as the Soviet style, a very plain, mostly grey and very solid
style of building. The windows were installed very precisely in keeping with
the style of the building. The next style is called the Tsarist style and these
buildings before the Tsars lost their power to the Bolsheviks. The buildings
are much more ornate and elaborate with decorative roof lines, hidden recessed
filled painting and sculpture and hand hewn rock blocks as well as very
beautiful marble floorin.
The third style is the modern style in which
very tall and sometimes garish buildings are built with little or no thought
about how they will fit into the local environment. As we drove through the main streets of the
city, we were able to recognize and identify each style.
From the main streets, weaving through the
amazing traffic, we travelled on to lunch, a tasty affair at a modest café on a
street almost under one of the bridges. A break was good and the food was too.
And our guide, Rada, kept plying us with more and more information. She was
able to encompass many topics into our conversation and willingly responded to
any question on any topic we wanted to discuss.
From lunch, we moved on to the Vladivostok
War Memorial, a large and elegant space that included the requisite monument,
an eternal flame and, in its entirety, a submarine that has been retired by the
military. The War Memorial was adjacent to the Arch that was described earlier.
Next, we visited a battery that was put in place just before World War ii. It
consisted of 6 guns with the ability to swivel and tilt so that the munitions
that were shot would meet the intended enemy target. The guns were on the
surface but the ammunition was stored well
underground in a series of secure tunnels. The tunnels still exist all over
Vladivostok but are protected by the military and no access is provided.
Because of Russia’s proximity to Japan and
its strategic position in Russia (the east coast access point) it was extremely
important to leave things to chance. So, during the second world war, Russia
installed no fewer than 17 such batteries all around the island we were
visiting. And, indeed, no military apparatus or ships broke through the barrier
throughout the war.
While we were at the battery, three groups of
men arrived to visit the battery as well. What we did not know is that for a
fee of 1000 rubles ($20.00 Cdn), it was possible to shoot a much smaller gun
into the valley below. The first time one of the men fired, we all jumped a
mile.The second time we were not as startled and the third time, it was as if
nothing unusual had happened. Boys will be boys!
A visit to the seafront promenade gave us
insight into how residents here spend their weekends. There was a very long walking/jogging
trail, exercise equipment along the way, children’s playgrounds at various
places and lots of shops for light food and beverages. It looked like it would
be a great place for families to find things to do.
A drive past the opera house brought us to
the first of four lookouts high up on the hilltops where we could see a vista
of sea and land … and today, fog and rain. It was disappointing but very
maritime. Apparently, from one location, one can see China, from another Korea
and a third, Japan. There is also a location some distance to the south where
the boundaries of Mongolia, Russia and Korea meet. It is in a militarized zone
so no one can visit this area but it would have been fun to pinpoint it from up
high. But, not today.
By this time, it was raining and we chose to
forgo the last stop on our tour today, another hilltop lookout with a vista of
the city. If it is nicer weather tomorrow, we will go then. So we headed back
to the hotel and into such a traffic jam as we have never seen anywhere else in
the world. Cars and trucks crossing lanes, travelling the wrong way on one way
streets, sitting gridlock, perpendicular to one another in the roadway. Drivers
were frustrated and began turning their cars around midstream. A three point
turn became a nine point turn and even then they might not be all the way
around. As passengers in the back seat of a well appointed Toyota Highlander,
it was easy to relax and see the humour and frustration in what was happening
ahead of us. Fortunately, our driver was a very patient man and he and our
guide were laughing at the craziness of it as well. At long last (one hour) a
space opened that our driver could sneak through and we were soon at our hotel.
It was time for a rest, some dinner, some
writing and photo editing … and then bed. An early day awaits tomorrow and the
weather promises to be better. Time will tell.
Thursday, October 6, 2016 Vladivostok
What a amazing day this was!! Our last day in
Vladivostok was filled with fun, adventure and learning from dawn ‘til dark. We
left our hotel very early this morning for a 1 ½ hour drive into the
countryside to a Safari Park. I will admit I was skeptical about what it would
offer, thinking we were going to a traditional zoo. That could not have been
further from the truth.
We were really in the forest with real wild
animals. Accompanied by our guide and a park interpreter, we wandered along
pathways, having personal encounters with many varieties of deer, including Tundra,
the reindeer. We met a wild boar. We crossed paths with foxes. We watched a
wolf moving about his enclosure. We met several badgers and one particularly
friendly otter who enjoyed, after a swim, drying himself on the pant legs of
visitors. We learned about the rescue and release program this sanctuary is
involved in and we met two leopard cubs who were on their way back to the wild.
We also visited a young dog-raccoon which is native to this part of Russia and
totally unrelated to the raccoons we know. We encountered blind raccoons,
flightless owls, injured falcons and hawks, buzzards and a very loud and noisy
crow who would be housed in this park for the duration of their lives.
But the primary reason we visited this park
was to see the tigers and leopards who live there. Of course, we were outside
the fence when we viewed these magnificent animals, each in a huge enclosure
that, as much as possible, replicated its natural environments. Aside from
providing opportunity for the public to view these animals, a primary program
for this safari is involvement in a breeding program for these endangered
animals. We saw three beautiful tigers today, each active in its own space. One
of them was pregnant and under the constant watchful eye of the staff as the
birth is imminent. The intent is that the offspring of the tigers in captivity
will be raised in such a way that release into the wild will be the intended
outcome. So far, they have been successful in releasing leopards into the wild
and are hopeful for the impending tiger cub.
We were only able to see one leopard today, close
enough to the fenceline for us to see her hidden in the grasses. She was very
well disguised by the natural surroundings. She was not entirely happy to see
us approaching so closely if her hiss was an indicator. The park interpreter did
allow us go to the interior fence for better photos, a privilege that is not
extended to very many people, according to our Russian guide.
After the thrill of seeing both tigers and a
cheetah, we were ready for the ride back to the city with a stop at a lovely
country restaurant along the way. Traditional Russian soup (rassolinik),
followed by a meat mixture wrapped in cabbage, also a traditional dish and a
favourite of our guide was served for lunch. We have had much success with
wonderful Russian dishes while here, both modest meals in small cafes and
elegant meals in larger restaurants. We have been delighted with what we have
eaten.
Back in the city, we went to a look-out, the
highest point in Vladivostok to see the view that we missed yesterday in the
rain and fog. It was worth waiting an extra day. The view encompassed the
entire harbour area that surrounds the city on all sides. Hills and valleys,
colourful buildings, church steeples and domes, and deep blue water from the
Sea of Japan all awaited our vieing pleasure. What fun to see the contour of
the land and sea since, later today, we are going on a boat tour of the harbour
and will enjoy views from there as well.
We have been in Russia for 28 days – only 2
days left – and we have not purchased a single thing to bring home. It seemed
like a good time to go to a souvenir shop. So, we stopped at the GUM store
(similar to the one we had visited in Moscow) and spent a good deal of time
choosing items that would help us recall this adventure without adding too much
‘stuff’ to our luggage or our home.
And then, on to the harbour tour … The
captain of the small craft, our guide and us …. What a pleasure!! We put on
many layers as it was nippy outside but Jim and I were determined to sit in the
stern of the boat and enjoy the sun and the views for the entire two hours. We
passed by city wharves, military installations, several container ports, two
small fishing villages, 3 lighthouses, passed under both large suspension
bridges, saw the aquarium from the water as well as the university, watched
birds diving, ships moving about and people trying their hands at fishing. We also
saw buildings that had appealed to us on land from a totally different vantage
point, some very elegant and colourful apartment complexes as well as office
towers and hotels. Vladivostok, for all of its modest 600, 000 people, is fast
becoming a world class city and is already a major shipping port on the Asian
coast. Two hours passed in a flash and all too soon we were disembarking to
make our way back to our hotel.
One last stop though … Zuma … a highly
recommended seafood restaurant. Who can be at the sea and not indulge in
seafood. It was a Japanese restaurant so all the dishes had a gentle Asian
flair. The food was delicious – a medley of shellfish, some shrimp-stuffed
starters and a dish prepared with trumpeter and a delicious rice pilaf loaded
with finely chopped vegetables. What a
glorious way to close out our four days in Vladivosotok.
Tomorrow (Friday), we fly back to Irkutsk and
early Saturday morning, we board the train that will take us on to the next
part of this amazing adventure. When you hear from us next, we will be in
Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia.
From Russia with love ….
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